#for my fic i'm referencing the events of masterclass as though they happened AFTER the mirror quest and AFTER the builder bonds w/ pen more

[cannibalisticskittles]

While I could work with the mission triggering at one heart (painful but narratively good in a way I guess? English is not my first language) I feel like the mission masterclass should start at 4 hearts at least.

That is when his daily dialogue can be "you've proven to me your diligence and worth, and so I have decided to teach you my ability to punch people into space. Yes… just keep being a good friend to me, and soon, very, very soon, I will teach you the space punch!"

Why is he trying to teach you that at one heart?

no, yeah, i totally get what you’re saying. if he starts making comments about wanting to teach you to space punch at 4 hearts, then the mission where he tries to teach you to space punch shouldn’t happen before that point.

given the option between having the mission where he tells you you're his only friend trigger at one heart (i weep), and having it trigger at, y’know, a time that makes sense with his other quest + with his dialogue (because seriously, the fact that he seemingly references the mirror quest in masterclass even though i got masterclass like four weeks before the mirror quest is ridiculous. it definitely feels like the quests were designed to unlock in the opposite order)... i would choose the latter. heartbreaking as it is (tho also satisfying, as you've said) to have him consider you a friend so easily, it just… clashes right now.

i wonder if it’d be better if he’d had a second quest. like, maybe if masterclass was split up – the ‘first friend’ bit and the ‘space punch training’ bit happening in different quests. have a short little quest trigger at one heart where he muses that you're doing a lot of Friend Stuff so… maybe you're friends? and he should return the favor? and he, idk, drags you with him to go fight monsters. or makes you fight them so he can critique your form (and then finish them off w/ a single punch, naturally). maybe it unlocks the ability to have play dates with him at that point, earlier than any other character, because he's decided that you're friends now. so, naturally, he will allow you to bask in his presence more easily. or, maybe he doesn't make a decision abt whether you're friends and it's framed more like a quid pro quo; you've done things for him, so he'll help you out by showing you how to be a little less useless in a fight, lmao. and then the space punch stuff happens after the mirror quest, after reaching at least four hearts, bc now he knows you're friends and will bestow upon you the honor of the space punch.

idk! just… something to balance out the fact that This Man Is Lonely And Friendless As Hell while also not conflicting w/ his dialogue and other quest. splitting up quests like that might not be as narratively satisfying (having him super casually tell you you're his first friend and not getting time to process that because he's more excited about teaching you to space punch was a bit of a gut-punch lmao) but i’m not a dev, that's something they should've sorted out in a satisfying way, but. didn't.

point is: u right.